Old Town’s amazing sites documented

By Patrick Beja

Mombasa Old Town offers great diversity. It is a blend of scents, sounds, colours and marks the anecdote of the town’s tour circuit.

A visitor can freely wander through the narrow streets and sample ancient and unique architecture, which is a cocktail of cultural influences from around the world. It is a fusion of African, Indian, Arabian and European architecture.

Many houses still retain their beautifully carved wooden doors, making the area different from the rest of Mombasa.

Most of the Swahili houses here have decorated balconies that act as semi-open spaces where the family can enjoy fresh breeze and privacy too.

The old town’s handicraft sellers, boutiques, fashion shops and tour guides are a major attraction for tourists visiting the Coast.

A special booklet with attractive sites has been published to showcase the town to the world. National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and the National Superior School of Architecture of Grenoble in France have stitched together all the interesting places in the booklet.

Proceeds from the sale of the 44-page booklet, Vieille Ville de Mombasa or Mombasa Old Town will be used to maintain the historical buildings and sites.

The booklet cautions that the town has reached a point where it could easily lose all its authenticity.

Mombasa Old Town also hosts great features such as world-famous Fort Jesus, Mombasa Old Port and the Swahili Cultural Centre where handicrafts are made.

Constructed by the Portuguese between 1593 and 1596, Fort Jesus is open daily and is the centre of activity.

It hosts a restaurant, a museum, tour guides and regularly performs a spectacular sound and light show, which recounts the long and turbulent history of the fort. The show is followed by a candlelight dinner in the courtyard.

Also within the old town are historical places such as the Government Square, the Treasury Square, the Mombasa Club, Mombasa Hospital, the Old Law Court and the Leven House, which hosts the NMK offices.

ancient gem

Many of the houses here date back to the end of the 19th century and are losing their external features including the intricately decorated doors and balconies.

The rapid expansion of Mombasa has put pressure on the old town’s ancient buildings.